Last edited Fri Jun 20, 2014, 06:06 PM - Edit history (2)

Grimm will lose because he is indicted.

Maybe some fresh blood in the Dems ranks might do some good. If it happens, that is. Who knows for sure what will happen, but if Democrats take a bath, and lose big, then next time they might have some new blood and hopefully more progressives in there!

A minimum of two years (probably more if it happens, because it's damned hard to unseat incumbents) of Republican control of both Houses will be disastrous for the country.

If Republicans take the Senate they will essentially control everything. Everything. The president's powers are minimal in this setting (even more minimal than they've been with mere obstructionism).

Don't EVER wish for this in a misguided attempt for "fresh blood." Probably all it will yield is more conservative Democrats, trying to compete with the Republican incumbents. In the meantime ... total disaster.

...oh wait....

A) I don't think it will happen
B) If it does happen Obama has the veto stamp.
C) If option B comes into effect we may have to chip in to buy more ink for the stamp 'cos he's gonna be busy...

Vetoing everything they pass is not an answer to anything--just more gridlock.

But there is ZERO possibility that any progressive, or even mildly progressive, or even non-conservative legislation will come up for a long, long, long, long time. Not even to be voted down.

"But there is ZERO possibility that any progressive, or even mildly progressive, or even non-conservative legislation will come up for a long, long, long, long time. Not even to be voted down."

Take, for instance, Elizabeth Warren's student loan refinancing bill, which was brought to the floor recently. It was voted down because of Republican opposition ... but at least a bill that has been brought to the floor, once on the table, can get the public's attention and perhaps get other chances in the future.

With Republicans in charge, that bill could not even come forward onto the floor. And remember, if the Republicans take the Senate, they will control every committee from which bills can emerge, or business is conducted--and that includes the Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Affairs committee, the Budget Committee ... all of them. We'll be outvoted on absolutely everything.

I have heard this same BS before, and it still is nothing more than BS. Do you even stop to consider just how bad things would be if this happened? Do you really think that the country would not suffer if this happened?

What is with you and the others here who wish this kind insanity on our country?

SO have no idea what you are talking about.

We will be fucked if the GOP owns both houses imo.

More Democratic Senate seats up for a challenge this year, and all that.

The GOP would have to do very well to actually take the Senate, but it could happen. In my state of South Dakota, it looks like a Republican will replace a Democrat. That's one.

Of course it could happen, it is not considered to be likely by anything like a consensus, in fact many think we can win the House and hold the Senate.
You consider it likely. Or possible. Or something. What are you saying exactly, that it is an election with lots of seats up for grabs? Is that news to anyone?

Given the contents of the first few pages of GD, yes, if would appear to be news.

but I'll save "likely" for when I hear it from someone other than Rasmussen, Politico, or yes, Nate Silver, who just hired a well-known climate-change denier for his new website.

That's South Dakota, where Tim Johnson is retiring.

The Democrat running to replace him is Rick Weiland. He could use some help: http://rickweiland.com/

Heidi Heitkamp. During the same election day where Romney won her state's electoral college.

Well, Wikipedia indicates that the latest poll shows 44% of South Dakotans back Republican Larry Rounds. 29% Weiland and 18% independent/former Republican Larry Pressler (who endorsed Obama in 2008!) Sheesh. Pressler might as well have taken lots of potential Weiland voters.

In North Dakota, there must have been lots of voters who chose Romney for President and Heitkamp for Senator. If they lived in South Dakota they'd vote for Pressler.

is planning to try and drive disabled voter turnout in November. Overall turnout in our primary earlier this month hovered around a pathetic 20 percent and ours was even less.

Hillary is bad! Warren is good! 2016!

(I agree - this is silly)

to help another state. Have for years. And I don't want to visit a website for info about those state races and see women called c*nts. Fuck that.

So many fights, so little time.

Edit: And I tip my hat to you for the volunteer work you do.

It blows my mind that so many guys actually enjoy alienating women and LGBT , but you know- they gotta have someone to shit on to feel good about themselves.

You use the term "likely"....where did that come from? I only respond to statistics, not innuendo.

There is no doubt that this is a very touch election cycle for Democrats when it comes to the Senate based on the number of incumbent Democratic and Republican senators up for re-election combined with the number of retirements.

But we have to keep in mind that Senators are chosen on a state-wide basis and not based on heavily gerrymandered districts. Obama won the last Presidential election nationally and there is still, despite what some may believe, some political capital there.

There are several races where we have strong Democratic contenders even if they are underdogs at this point. But much can happen in the intervening months. Republicans tend to say and do many stupid things.

I am all for getting out the vote and supporting our candidates that are in competitive races.

Should the Democrats lose control of the Senate, the GOP would control the entire Congressional calendar. I have no doubt they would schedule weekly votes to repeal Obamacare, pass legislation to ensure that no federal money is spent on an abortion, give more tax cuts to the wealthy, try to undo the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases, etc. But Obama will veto all these measures and they will not have a 2/3 majority in both houses to override.

So we would have two years of absolutely nothing for the country except what BO can do by executive order.

But that sets the Democrats up well in 2016 to once again explain to the American electorate who is stopping any progress.

I would not be so doom and gloom.

First who is saying it? The polling is. Not the RW polling, but the polling in general.

Right now, RCP is calling it fifty fifth in the Senate. That gives the Democrats one vote, the VP, to break the ties. Anyone of fifty Senators die, or resign, and the chamber could shift to Rethug control, if this comes out. That by the way means we would have to win Arkansas, Iowa, North Carolina, and Colorado. I'm not sure we're going to pull all of those, but I hope so.

Likely is a fair word if it impresses on everyone the very real danger of losing the Senate. Even in the current scenario of the no toss up map, that means we can't make one more mistake from now to November in any race.

Second, let's for the sake of argument say that the worst does happen, and the Rethugs take the Senate. How will the country and the press reflect it? Won't they portray President Obama as the obstructionist who is standing in the way of legislation? Then the press will run to the candidates from the Democratic Party and ask the obvious question. "Would you work with a Republican Congress (In other words betray Obama) or would you remain obstructionist in the face of an opposition legislative branch?" If the candidate says yes, they would work with the Rethugs, they lose the base of the Democratic Party. If they say no, they lose the independent votes, and the election is lost either way. Rand Paul could win the white house with that strategy.

But convince yourself that the nation would grow disgusted with the Rethugs, because they seem ready to give the Rethugs the Senate, the Rethugs stay on message, and keep it simple.

Let's take the economy issue shall we? The Rethugs are more trusted on the economy according to the NPR poll I posted here. Why is that? Why is it even possible? Watch the Rethugs, learn your enemy. They attach the phrase Job Killing to everything they oppose. The Job Killing Minimum Wage hike. The Job Killing Obamacare. Job Killing extension of unemployment. If they were opposed to it, they would claim that Daylight Saving Time was Job Killing Daylight Saving Time. So people hear the sound bites, they hear the Republicans arguing against a thing claiming it is job killing. People know Unemployment is a lot worse than the official numbers. They know the economy is bad because they can't get a loan, or if they can it is after months of struggle to meet the incredible detailed demands of a bank. They don't want job killing anything, they want jobs.

So imagine two more years, instead of the Senate standing as a bastion against the insanity of the Rethugs in the House, joining them in assaulting the ramparts of the White House. Forget impeachment, they wouldn't want to give Biden the upper hand in running as an incumbent in 2016. They aren't as stupid as we might wish them to be. They will push their agenda, and they'll make it seem sensible and intelligent. They'll propose some changes to the ACA, and President Obama will veto, and Democrats will become the obstruction party. That isn't a label we can hope to ride into a glorious victory in 2016.

Stop assuming that people are going to wake up to the dangers of the RW. Respect your enemy, and learn how he operates. Study them, and see how they tie things that have no business being near each other together. See how they let the loonies run out and raise hell while the rest of them sound reasonable and considerate when interviewed.

If we act now, we can save the Senate. If we wait until the approved news sources say that the Senate is in jeopardy, it will be too late to do much but gnash our teeth and wail. Learn your enemy and then you will know them well enough to defeat them.

Clinton- Cuomo 1916

That is what we are doing... oh you mean there are elections in November? The RP rant is just a side distraction from the Dean-Gore ticket.

Some will need it.